Monday February 23rd, 2015 Joel 2:1-2,12-17
Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love? (verse 13)
On Friday, we read about David and his reliance on God’s steadfast love. Today the reading reminds us of that love once again. This verse elaborates on the nature of our God-gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Gracious. Merciful. Slow to anger. Abounding in love. These words describe our God and we are told to return to God precisely because of these amazing characteristics. God’s love is an extravagant love.
I love the picture I get when I think of the word “abounding.” I was curious to know precisely what this word meant so I looked it up in the dictionary just as I had done for the word “steadfast.” Abounding means “to be present in large numbers or in great quantity; be prevalent; to be copiously supplied.” Isn’t that a great picture? God’s unchanging love is copiously supplied.
Let us return to this loving, patient, gracious and merciful God, knowing that God’s love will never run out.
Thank you that your steadfast love for us is abounding, O God. Help us to rely on you and rest in your extravagant love. Amen. — KDG
Contributed by Extravagant Love
On Friday, we read about David and his reliance on God's steadfast love. Today the reading reminds us of that love once again. This verse elaborates on the nature of our God-gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Gracious. Merciful. Slow to anger. Abounding in love. These words describe our God and we are told to return to God precisely because of these amazing characteristics. God's love is an extravagant love.
I love the picture I get when I think of the word "abounding." I was curious to know precisely what this word meant so I looked it up in the dictionary just as I had done for the word "steadfast." Abounding means "to be present in large numbers or in great quantity; be prevalent; to be copiously supplied." Isn't that a great picture? God's unchanging love is copiously supplied.
Let us return to this loving, patient, gracious and merciful God, knowing that God's love will never run out.